THE WEST MIDLANDS ARCHERY SOCIETY

(FOUNDED JUNE 24th 1950)


CONSTITUTION

Revised March 2001, 2009, 2012 & 2013

1. TITLE

The Society shall be entitled The West Midlands Archery Society hereinafter referred to as "the Society".

2 GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

The geographical area of the Society shall comprise the Counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire hereinafter referred to as "the Region".

3 AIMS

The aims of the Society shall be to co-ordinate archery within the Region and to represent the views of its members to the Board of Directors of the Grand National Archery Society ("GNAS").

4 AUTONOMY

The Society shall be autonomous except in so far as it is required to conform with the Constitution and Rules of the GNAS.

5 MEMBERSHIP

Subject to resolution of the Council, membership of the Society shall be extended to:

  1. Clubs and Disabled Clubs, hereinafter referred to as "Associated Clubs", or Individuals who are members of the County Associations within the region where such Associations exist, and
  2. Individual members of GNAS who are resident in the Region.

Members of Associated Clubs and Individual Members shall hereinafter be referred to as "Members"

6 SUBSCRIPTION

  1. Each Associated Club affiliated to the Society shall pay an annual subscription to the Society in respect of each shooting member of that Club, through its affiliate county association or directly to the Society. The rate of subscription shall be such sum as shall, from time to time, be determined by the Members at the Annual General Meeting.
    Individual Members of GNAS shall be required to pay to the Society, through his or her affiliate county association or directly, the appropriate fee levied by the Society.
  2. All subscriptions shall become due on the 1st October and be paid by the 31st October. Any Associated Club which is in arrears with its subscription shall, in accordance with the rules of GNAS, cease to be an Associated Club.
    Only Members whose subscriptions to their County Association and to the Society have been received by the respective Treasurers shall be eligible to compete for trophies presented by, or on behalf of, the Society.
  3. The subscription for a new member joining the Society on or after 1st January in any year shall be reduced, pro rata on a quarterly basis, to reflect the number of three month periods (or parts thereof) remaining until the succeeding 1st October (such that a member joining during January, February or March shall pay ¾ of the normal annual subscription, or if joining during April, May or June, shall pay ½ of the normal subscription, and so on).
  4. The Society may, on the recommendation of the Treasurer and with the consent of the Council, discount the subscription payable to the Society for payment before a given date.
  5. Associated Clubs shall submit a list of their members to County Associations when remitting their annual subscriptions and the County Associations shall forward such lists to the Society. Where no County Association exists, Associated Clubs shall forward such lists direct to the Society.
  6. The funds of the Society shall be the absolute property of the Society.
  7. County Organisations and other local federations shall be responsible for fixing and levying their own subscriptions or fees.

7 COUNCIL

The Society shall be governed by a Council.

The Council shall consist of:

  1. The officers, i.e., the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
  2. Some or all of the following persons:
    A President; two Vice Presidents; Regional Coaching Organiser; Judge Liaison Officer; Child Protection Officer, two English Archery Federation Delegates, two representatives from each County Association; any other Representative deemed necessary.

No Officer shall serve for more than three consecutive terms of office but may offer him/herself for election after a break of at least two years.

Representation on the Council shall be achieved in the following manner:

  1. The President and Vice Presidents shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting and shall normally serve for three years
  2. The Chairman shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
  3. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting in the following manner: at the Annual General Meeting at which these presents are approved, the current incumbents shall continue in office: at the next ensuing Annual General Meeting the Secretary shall be subject to re-election and serve for a period of two years: at the Annual General Meeting in the next year the Treasurer shall be subject to re-election and serve for a period of two years. The election of these officers shall thereafter take place in alternate years.
    In the event of a casual vacancy occurring in either office the Council shall fill the vacancy at its discretion for the balance of the term of service of the Officer replaced.
  4. The council shall appoint the Judge Liaison Officer, the Child Protection Officer and the English Archery Federation Delegates
  5. Two representatives from each County Association and the Regional Coaching Organiser shall have representation as of right.
  6. The Council may elect a Vice Chairman from within its own membership.
  7. The Council shall have power to co-opt non-voting members.
  8. Any member may serve in more than one capacity but an Officer shall not serve in more than one office at the same time.
  9. The Council may appoint such sub-committees as it deems desirable. Such sub-committees shall always be chaired by a member of the Council
  10. The Council shall maintain an account at an approved bank in its name: into which all receipts shall be paid and from which all outgoings shall be defrayed. The accounts shall be administered by the Treasurer. Cheques on the accounts shall be signed by the Treasurer and countersigned either by the Secretary or the Chairman.

8 Audit of Accounts

The Accounts shall be audited annually. The Auditor shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting and his/her term of Office shall last until the conclusion of the next following Annual General Meeting.

The Auditor shall be a suitable qualified person, who is not, at the time of audit a member of the Committee.

9 REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS

The Council shall organise, approve or delegate the organisation of tournaments as shall be determined.

10 COACHING

Coaching matters within the Society shall be organised by a Coaching Committee consisting of the Regional Coaching Organiser and the County Coaching Organisers. The Coaching Committee shall administer its own funds.

11 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting shall be held in March.

The financial year shall be the calendar year.

A copy of the audited accounts, made up to the 31st December of the preceding year, shall be sent, together with the agenda for the AGM, to each Association or individual member fourteen days prior to the date of the meeting by post or by electronic mail.

Each Member present at the AGM shall be entitled to one vote.

12 EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened by the Secretary in any one of the following circumstances:

  1. On the instruction of the Council.
  2. At the written request of two or more of the County Associations.
  3. At the written request of ten or more Associated Clubs.

The purpose of the Meeting shall be set out in the notice convening the.meeting.

13 EMERGENCY ACTION

In the event of an emergency the Chairman, together with the other Officers of the Council, shall have power to act in the name of the Council.

The Chairman shall, as soon as it is practicable thereafter, report the circumstances to the Council and seek its endorsement for the action taken.

14 QUORUM

Nine members shall constitute a quorum at a General Meeting and four at a Council Meeting.

15 CASTING VOTE

The Chairman of a meeting shall have the casting vote.

16 COUNCIL MEETINGS

The Council shall meet FOUR times a year in the months of January, April, July and October or in such other months as the Council shall deem expedient.

17 NOTICE OF MEETINGS

A minimum of fourteen days notice in writing shall be given of all meetings.

18 CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

Proposals to amend the Constitution may be submitted by the Council or by a County Association. A County Association proposing any alteration to the Constitution must send notice thereof in writing to the Secretary by 1st January, enclosing the text of the Section as it will stand when amended by the proposed alteration. A copy of any proposed alteration shall be sent by the Secretary to each Officer, Council member, Individual Member and County Association at least 21 days before the meeting.

19 EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

If, in the opinion of the Council, any Member or Associated Club shall be deemed to have been guilty of conduct which makes it undesirable that he/she/it should remain a member of the Society, the Council may expel him/her/it from membership without being called upon to state its reason to any but the person or club concerned. The Member or Associated Club shall be permitted to defend his/her/its conduct at the Council meeting deciding the case.

20 DISSOLUTION

A resolution to dissolve the Society may only be submitted to an Extraordinary General Meeting convened specifically for the purpose. Such resolution must set out the reasons for its submission and indicate the circumstances giving rise for the proposed action.

To become effective the resolution must receive the support of eighty per cent of those present and voting at the meeting.

On the dissolution of the Society its assets shall be realised and, together with the monies remaining in its possession after the payment of all outstanding liabilities, shall either:

  1. be distributed between the County Associations in proportion to their membership of the Society on the 1st January in the year in which the dissolution is effected, OR
  2. be donated to GNAS to further the development of archery as determined by a simple majority of those attending the meeting called to dissolve the Society.

ADL 13 March 2001